Summer Literacy Activities - Toronto Catholic District ...

TCDSB FAMILY LITERACY ? DRAFT

Summer Literacy Activities

During the summer, it is important that your child continue to engage regularly in literacy activities. Below are some fun ways you can help your child to build literacy skills during the summer and to help he/she maintain the gains made during the school year.

AT HOME

Invite your child to keep a daily journal or diary in which she/he can write about day-to-day activities, books read, or special events. Older children might keep a blog on a free online site .

Create a special place in your home for your child to read, write and draw. Keep writing utensils, paper, scissors, books, etc., in this special area.

Explore some interactive educational websites with your child. See the Website List for suggestions.

Encourage your child to write stories or create an online comic strip.

Engage in discussion when watching T.V. with your child. Elicit his/her opinion. This will help your child formulate and express his/her thoughts orally, think critically and build vocabulary.

Provide your child with sidewalk chalk to write messages on the pavement.

If planning a summertime barbecue, invite your child to write the menu. Make a shopping list together, and have your child read the recipe to you and help cook.

Collect brochures, read them with your child and discuss places you plan to visit.

Plan a real or virtual trip by exploring websites of places you want to visit.

Have your child select favourite pieces of work from school notebooks and portfolios to create a scrapbook as a memory of their most recent school year.

Create a scrapbook of summer memories or a vacation by having your child write and draw about special moments. Include memorabilia (ticket stubs, airline tickets, etc.), photographs and brochures or download pictures from the internet.

TCDSB FAMILY LITERACY ? DRAFT

IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD AND ON EXCURSIONS

Take your child to the public library to join the TD Summer Reading Club. Your young teens can join Word Out: Teen Summer Reading and go online with other book loving teens to talk about favourite books. Check out the Toronto Public Library site for more details .

Download stories to iPods. This is a great idea for long car rides or a relaxing hot summer afternoon. See Downloads and eBooks at .

Have your child keep a word book to print words they see in the environment and on his/her travels (names of places, names of things, names of people, etc.).

Before you leave on a trip, make a Bingo card of things you might see. When your child gets bingo, reward him/her with a comic, joke book or other fun reading materials.

When you travel, bring games, books, word searches, crossword puzzles and writing materials that will entertain your child.

Help your child learn a new and interesting word each day/week. Challenge your child to use it as often as possible.

Pick something in nature to observe over the summer, talk and write about its changes (e.g., a tree, a flower, an insect, an animal, etc.)

TCDSB FAMILY LITERACY ? DRAFT

The Toronto Public Library provides many opportunities for families to engage in literacy practices together.

Get involved with the local library: Visit the local library with your child and apply for a library card, read, and borrow books and other material.

Attend special events and activities: Obtain a copy of, What's On magazine, a bi-monthly publication which provides a schedule of dates and times for programs and events happening at your local library.

Log on to KidsSpace: Find a current up to date schedule of library programs and events for the whole family to enjoy.

Make it a family affair: Consider joining an adult reading club at the local library. Be a role model for your child and join a library book club and discussion group and/or Writers' Group.

Visit the library online: At KidsSpace in the Toronto Public Library website, your child can listen to and read along with a wide variety of texts.

Read-a-Story: Listen to and read along with a variety of books from favourite children's authors. Write an online book review of the texts read.

Hear-a-Story: Your child can listen to and download stories in a variety of languages. . html

TCDSB FAMILY LITERACY ? DRAFT

Tell-a-Story: Your child can tell their stories online and find links to websites of Canadian authors and illustrators.

Sign your child up for the TD Summer Reading Club: Every summer, the Toronto Public Library hosts a themed reading club with weekly events and activities. Club members receive a poster and stickers to track their reading progress. At an August wrap-up party children receive prizes and a certificate.

Encourage your teen to go online on Word Out, Teen Summer Reading: Teens can chat online about what they are currently reading and hoping to read, trade book recommendations, create video book reviews and hear from favourite authors.

Visit RAMP online: Youth can find information on jobs, books, volunteering opportunities, library services, schools, entertainment and much more in and around Toronto. It's also a place where teens can contribute their ideas and art to discuss and share with other teens.

Reading/Listening to Books in Other Languages: To access books in various languages, follow the link at the Toronto Public Library to the International Children's Digital Library.

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